Chapter 3: The Birth of Hestia

The air inside the grand halls of Mount Olympus was heavy with tension. The once-serene chamber, adorned with golden tapestries and ornate marble pillars, now bore witness to yet another tragedy.

Standing tall before the weeping Titaness of Motherhood, Kronos, the King of the Titans, radiated an aura of dominance and finality. His massive frame, wrapped in a flowing tunic of celestial gold, cast an imposing shadow over his trembling wife. His storm-gray eyes, filled with cold determination, bore down on her with an unyielding glare.

"RHEA, GIVE ME THE CHILD." His voice was deep, resonant, and laced with unquestionable authority.

Rhea clutched the fragile newborn against her chest, her golden hair disheveled, her violet eyes brimming with despair. The tiny bundle in her arms, a delicate infant wrapped in soft white silks, let out a faint, innocent cry, unaware of the cruel fate awaiting her.

Rhea's arms tightened around the child instinctively, her breath coming in shaky gasps.

"No!" she spat, her voice filled with both fury and desperation. "What are you going to do to my daughter? Will you swallow her too, like you did to our firstborn?"

Kronos' jaw tightened at the accusation. His hands curled into fists at his sides.

"She is not a Titan." His voice was sharp, unwavering. "She is part of the curse our father placed upon me. These children are destined to overthrow us! I will not allow that to happen."

Rhea's breath hitched.

She had begged, she had pleaded, but nothing she said had changed his mind when he took away Phanes. Now, history was repeating itself.

Tears welled in her eyes as she shook her head violently.

"No! You already took my firstborn from me. Please, not my daughter! She is innocent... Please, Kronos!" Rhea's voice cracked, and she fell to her knees, weeping.

But the Titan King was unyielding.

"Give me the child, Rhea." His voice had lost all traces of patience.

When she refused to move, Kronos' expression darkened. In an instant, he closed the distance between them with a single step. His massive hand shot forward and ripped the newborn from Rhea's trembling grasp.

"NO!" Rhea screamed, her hands reaching for her daughter, but Kronos' sheer strength kept her at bay.

The baby—her sweet Hestia—began to wail, her tiny hands flailing as she was lifted into the air. Her cries were soft, pitiful, a sound that should have melted even the coldest of hearts.

But Kronos remained unmoved.

Rhea struggled, but she was no match for her husband's strength. The Titan King merely brushed her aside with a single sweep of his arm, sending her collapsing onto the marble floor.

She gasped in pain, her eyes wide with horror as she watched Kronos raise the crying infant toward his mouth.

"Enough." Kronos' voice was final. He barely even looked at her as he spoke. "As a sign of respect for bearing my children, I will allow you to name her before she is gone."

Rhea's heart shattered.

Her lips trembled as she choked back sobs, her vision blurred with tears. She wanted to fight, to stop this, but what could she do? She was powerless against the might of her husband.

With a shaking breath, she whispered, "Her name… is Hestia… my second child…"

Her voice broke at the last word, and she buried her face in her hands, unable to bear the sight of what was to come.

Kronos merely nodded, his expression unreadable.

Without hesitation, he tilted his head back, opened his mouth, and lowered the infant toward his gaping maw.

The moment his lips closed around her, Rhea let out a sound of pure anguish.

A scream so filled with grief that it echoed through the chamber, but it fell upon deaf ears.

Kronos swallowed.

Just like that, Hestia was gone.

Rhea collapsed to the ground, her shoulders shaking violently as sobs racked her body. Her golden hair spilled across the marble floor as she clenched her fists, her entire body trembling with despair.

Kronos turned away from her, his expression impassive.

"We will try again, Rhea." His tone was cold, indifferent. "If our next child is not a Titan… you already know what will happen."

Without another word, he walked away, his heavy footsteps echoing throughout the vast chamber.

The golden doors swung shut behind him with a resounding boom, leaving Rhea alone in the deafening silence.

She did not move.

She did not speak.

All she could do was cry, her broken whispers lost in the emptiness of the grand hall.

"I'm sorry… my child… I was powerless to save you…"

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Deep within the chaotic void of Kronos' esophagus, where time and space twisted into an incomprehensible mess, Phanes sat within his self-made sanctuary, his emerald eyes burning with fury.

His fists clenched tightly as his divine senses extended outward, capturing the events unfolding outside. He could hear Rhea's desperate pleas, the pain in her voice, the anguish in her cries. It made his blood boil.

"Damn you, Kronos," Phanes growled under his breath, his voice dripping with venomous rage. "I swear on my divinity, the moment I escape from this wretched prison, I'll cut off your balls and feed them to the Primordials."

The Titan King's ruthlessness was unrelenting. There was no remorse in his actions, no hesitation in devouring his own children, all for the sake of paranoia and self-preservation.

Phanes had once been an orphan in his past life, a mortal who had never known the warmth of a family. But here, in this new existence, he had a mother—one who genuinely loved him. Rhea's emotions were not a facade; her grief, love, and desperation were real. In this world, a god's divinity did not limit their choices, but still, she loved her children unconditionally.

Something within Phanes shifted.

Rhea was more than just a mother in name. She was his mother.

His heart warmed at the realization, a sense of belonging settling into his soul. He wasn't alone. He had a family—one that had been cruelly ripped apart.

And he would get them back.

His emerald eyes hardened with determination.

'I need to be patient. Hestia will arrive soon. Once she does, I will protect her.'

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Time passed—though how much, Phanes could not tell.

Inside Kronos, time was a chaotic mess, shifting and flowing erratically. He had spent what felt like centuries training his physical strength and refining his control over divinity. He had grown stronger, but he still had limits in this unstable environment.

Resting against the walls of his cavernous shelter, Phanes suddenly felt a disturbance.

His emerald eyes snapped open, his divine senses expanding outward. A familiar presence—new yet familiar—was descending through the esophagus.

"She's here," he muttered. His lips curled into a small, relieved smile.

Rising to his feet, he walked to the edge of his cave, his gaze lifting upward. Though she was still far above, his divine perception allowed him to see her clearly.

A lone figure tumbled downward through the chaotic void, her fiery red-orange hair fanning out like flames.

"I should prepare."

Summoning his divine power, Phanes extended his hand, weaving his major divinity of space and minor divinity of time together.

Instantly, the flow of time slowed around his sister.

The chaotic atmosphere within Kronos' body became sluggish, and Hestia's descent slowed dramatically. What was once a reckless free-fall became a gentle, controlled motion, bringing her closer and closer to him.

As she neared, Phanes reached out, his strong arms wrapping securely around her waist. With one fluid motion, he pulled her toward him, holding her against his chest.

The moment his divinity retracted, time within the Titan's body snapped back to its original chaotic state, the unstable energy rippling around them once more.

Phanes took a deep breath before lowering his gaze to his newly rescued sister.

Cradled in his arms, Hestia slowly opened her fire-colored eyes, the glow within them radiating warmth.

She was beautiful.

Standing at 180 cm, she had a tall, curvaceous form, her flaming-red hair cascading down her back, reaching just above her perfectly round hips. Her skin held a faint, ethereal glow, like the embers of a divine flame.

Phanes suddenly realized two things.

First—her body had matured, just like his own. The chaotic flow of time within Kronos had rapidly aged them, turning infants into fully grown gods.

And second—they were both naked.

A faint pink hue dusted Phanes' cheeks as he quickly averted his eyes. Despite his immense control over his body and divinity, a wave of embarrassment washed over him.

'Damn it… even with all my training, I'm still a virgin… and a god of life and fertility at that! My libido is ridiculous…'

He cleared his throat, quickly stepping back to put some distance between them.

Hestia, still disoriented, blinked up at him. Her gaze locked onto his emerald eyes, studying him with quiet curiosity.

A few long seconds passed.

Then, suddenly, her eyes filled with tears.

Phanes' heart tightened. He knew why she was crying.

She had just been ripped away from their mother. She had heard Rhea's pleas, her cries, her heartbreak. And now, she was here, in a dark, unfamiliar place, the reality of their cruel fate sinking in.

Phanes took a slow step forward, then another, until he was standing right in front of her.

Without hesitation, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into his embrace.

Hestia froze for a moment.

Then, with a shuddering breath, she buried her face in his chest.

Her small, broken sobs echoed in the silence.

Phanes held her tightly, his strong arms securing her in his warmth.

"It's okay, Hestia," he murmured, gently stroking her hair. "You're not alone. I'm here… and so is Mother. She loves us—deeply. And I… I love you too."

Hestia let out a muffled whimper, clutching onto him as though he was the only solid thing in her world.

She didn't speak, only nodding softly against his chest.

Phanes sighed, closing his eyes as he continued to hold her close.

There was still so much to do.

But for now, he would let her cry.

For now, he would let her grieve.

Because no matter what, he would protect her.

He would protect all of them.

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Hestia's POV

The moment she was born, Hestia was aware.

Unlike mortal children who arrived into the world fragile and unaware, she possessed the physiology of a god. Even as an infant, her mind was sharp, her senses heightened, and her understanding of the world immediate.

The first sounds she heard were her mother's desperate cries and her father's cold, authoritative voice.

"RHEA, GIVE ME THE CHILD!"

Hestia's tiny body shuddered at the booming voice of the Titan King.

"NO! What are you going to do to my child? Are you going to eat her like her older brother?!"

Her mother's voice was filled with fury and desperation. Even as a newborn, Hestia understood—Rhea was fighting for her.

But her father's next words struck her like a bolt of lightning.

"She is not a Titan. This is the curse of our father. She is a threat to our rule."

Hestia's breath hitched.

"NOW GIVE ME THE CHILD!"

A cold realization settled deep in her chest.

'Am I... unwanted?'

Her father's words rang in her ears like a cruel curse, each syllable cutting deeper than any blade. She was a threat. A mistake. A child destined to be discarded.

Her tiny fingers clenched into fists, her divine instincts screaming at her to fight back, to prove her worth. But she was helpless, trapped in the body of an infant, unable to do anything but listen.

She hated that feeling.

She hated how powerless she was.

And more than anything, she hated the fact that her mother was suffering because of her.

"Please, Kronos… I beg you…"

Rhea's voice trembled with desperation, her tears falling freely. Hestia could hear it. She could feel it.

A sudden heat swelled in her chest—a fire she didn't recognize. A rage that didn't belong to a child.

'I want to protect her.'

Her mother was fighting for her life, for her right to exist.

And yet, Hestia could do nothing.

But amidst the heartbreak, a single moment of warmth came.

"Her name is Hestia... my second child."

Rhea had given her a name.

For the first time since she was born, she felt happiness. A name meant that she was cherished, that she belonged to someone. That her mother truly loved her.

But the happiness was short-lived.

A shadow loomed over her.

A massive mouth opened wide.

Darkness engulfed her.

The last thing she saw was her mother's horrified face, her outstretched hands reaching for her, her cries filled with agony.

Her chest ached.

'Mother...'

(To be Continued)